Jangmadangs have had a major political impact in North Korea. The rise of jangmadangs and the access to technology like cellphones and laptops and to foreign media like Korean dramas have influenced not only North Korean citizens but the authorities as well. The increasing contact and knowledge of the outside world have led to North Korean authorities attempting to crack down on jangmadangs and the rise of foreign influence. One major cause of this political shift is the rise of cellphones.
According to a study in early 2024, roughly one quarter of the population of North Korea, or a little over 7 million people, now have cell phones. While these phones are heavily moderated and have limited ability to connect with phones outside of North Korea, this increased access still provides a way for rapid mass communication amongst the North Korean population that did not exist before. This has had widespread political and social implications as it allows for mass rapid communication for the first time. The prevalence of not only cellphones but also technology and foreign media in general has had major political implications. As jangmadangs have grown, they have allowed for more technology and foreign media and ideas to spread, and for ideas that differ from the Kim regime’s ideology to spread. This increased access has had political implications, with Kim Jong-Un becoming more paranoid and cracking down on foreign media and jangmadangs with increased scrutiny and the passing of several laws.
One such law is the Reactionary Ideology and Culture Rejection Law, which was passed in 2020. This law harshly targets the consumption of foreign media and anything that the Kim regime deems counterrevolutionary or critical of the regime’s policies and ideologies . Due to this law, there have been multiple arrests, forced labor, and even executions of those found guilty of violating the 2020 law. Several defectors report that in 2023, six boys in Wonsan, North Korea, were publicly executed following being found guilty of watching foreign media. In another case of harsh crackdowns in 2020, two sixteen-year-olds were sentenced to over a decade of hard labor after being found guilty of listening to K-pop. The punish of those found guilty of counsumming foreign media mainly Kpop and Kdramas is more severe than the punishment for murder or rape. The severity of these punishments highlights the growing paranoia and fear as foreign media and influence continue to grow and spread in North Korea, in large part due to jangmadangs.
Additionally, despite their vital role in North Korean society and economy, there has been an increasing pushback and crackdowns on jangmadangs by North Korean authorities. This has been done with increased punishments for consuming foreign media, spreading or following anti-regime ideologies, and bribery. This has led to an increase in arrests and fines for those found guilty. As part of the crackdown, soldiers have been ordered to “shoot on sight” for those who they see attempting to cross the border to China, as well as those who travel between regions without explicit permission from the proper North Korean authorities.
Another recent law that was introduced in an attempt to crack down on the spread of foreign influence is the Pyongyang Cultural Language Protection Act, passed in 2023. This law heavily restricts the language of North Koreans. The law bans the use of words and styles of speech that the regime deems to mirror South Korean speech or other foreign languages. If found guilty, the punishment ranges from six years of hard labor to the death sentence. This law, in addition to the 2020 law and recent crackdown on jangmadangs, are all attempts by the North Korean government to limit foreign influence and counter changing attitudes.
Jangmadangs have also led to a change in how the younger generations view the Kim regime, as they no longer provide for North Korean citizens. This is seen with Joo Yang, a defector who describes his family’s design to begin selling at jangmadangs as necessary, “We realized that if we didn’t do anything, we’d starve to death. So we started trading.” The need to turn to illegal means to support their family was part of what led to Joo Yang making the decision to defect in 2010, as he no longer viewed the regime as all-knowing and the best option for him and his future. This highlights how, while the blind devotion to Kim Jong-Un and the Kim dynasty exists publicly for many, there has been a change in how the regime is viewed and where North Koreans look for survival.
People growing up today have survived several famines and political and economic instability; they were never provided for by the government like their grandparents and parents were. Young people growing up today have never experienced times of plenty and have always had to rely on jangmadangs for survival. With the defector Joon Hee saying that “Once [Kim Jong-Il] died in 1994, all state-related infrastructure crumbled. All I remember since being a toddler is how many cities ran on markets.” Joon Hee’s experience is not unique, with all those born after 1994 experiencing something similar. The fall of the Soviet Union and the devastating famine from 1994-1998 spelled the end of North Koreans relying on the government for survival. The need to rely on jangmadangs has led to distrust in the government and a lack of faith in the government for survival, as well as the birth of the phrase ‘Socialist by day, capitalist by night’. This attitude continues to grow despite the numerous laws that North Korea has passed in an attempt to limit jangmadangs, foreign media, and their influence on North Korean daily lives.
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